


Submerged

by LourenskiAnne



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Biologist Hange Zoë, Blood and Injury, Engineer Levi, Hypnosis, Kidnapping, M/M, Merfolk AU, Merman Eren Yeager, Merman Eren/Human Levi, Merpeople are predators, Vet Student Isabel, Yacht, artwork in the first chapter, ereri, riren - Freeform, thalassophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-02 17:54:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11514474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LourenskiAnne/pseuds/LourenskiAnne
Summary: He thought it was Isabel's brain playing tricks on her when she told him she was attacked by a woman with a strong tail instead of legs all those years ago.Even now, he thought his own brain was playing tricks on him when he saw Hanji reaching for the hand of a boy in the water below them. That boy hissed at him after he yanked Hanji back, preventing her from falling into gelid waters. It was hard to believe it when he saw that tail disappear beneath the water, a flash of glistening green scales making him question if perhaps he was just as delusional as his crazy friend.However, it was impossible not to believe it when he once again opened his eyes to the sight of that same young man. Short messy brown hair was his only human-looking feature. Sickly white, thin skin seemed to glow in the dark as brightly as his tail did. But his eyes possessed the most eerie glow of all. They were huge, round and so, so green.They made Levi feel fearful beyond what he thought his mind was capable of.And little did he know that the hauntingly beautiful merman was pondering on whether to satisfy his curiosity about the body of a living human being, or simply use his sharp teeth to tear his face apart.





	1. Itch

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. Welcome to my little story.  
> Ereri/Riren is so dynamic. They are the ones making me want to write again after so many years, about something I really like.  
> At the end of the first chapter there's a little fanart I drew myself before I decided to write this. It's simple, but I thought it would look neat if I added it.  
> This is also my first work on ao3 and I decided to contribute to this merfolk AU that fascinates me so much. \o/

Boredom. It always led him to restlessness.

There were many things he could, and should, be doing at this moment. It was Friday, the afternoon sun shining brightly, the clear blue sky almost free of any clouds. The weather was hot as well, leaving him even more unpleased with his current predicament. Sitting on his couch like he was, made him feel sweaty and on the verge of being roasted. He should be working right now. But even if he felt himself capable of doing his job, his friends and little sister wouldn't let him move more than what was necessary until he was fully recovered. He worked as an engineer, and an accident involving a steel structure falling over and almost knocking the life out of him was what got him here. He knew he was lucky. Not only did he survive, but his body would be at full health in a matter of days. He still had some aches, but they were bearable enough for him to move around like he normally did. Even so, use of force or abrupt movements still made him wince in pain.

Eventually he gave up on convincing them that he was fine and went along with what they said, to relax until he couldn't feel a single itch in his body.

Levi stared at the ceiling of his silent living room. He focused on the rhythm of his lungs drawing the air in and out of him for a few seconds. As much as he wanted to busy himself, he still felt lazy and relaxing sounded appealing to him. But in this weather, it was impossible. The couch had started to make him feel uncomfortably warm. And itchy.

He had nothing to do, and he couldn't just rest either. He doubted the TV could provide any good entertainment so he leaned forward to grab his phone from the coffee table.

At this hour of the day, he guessed everyone he would ever want to hang out with was busy. Isabel, his little sister who lived with him, was having classes. He knew if he texted her though, she would still reply with her phone beneath her desk and a sly smile on her face, always eager to cheer him up even if goofy texts and silly memes is her only way to do so.

They had done that before, more than once in fact. But he knew that because she was a rebel little shit, the teachers had their eyes on her, itching to give punishment. He wasn't about to push her luck and get her into trouble.

That left Hanji and Farlan. The latter, a longtime friend, was a nurse. The blond would keep him company if he was available. But at this hour of the day, it was probably wise not to disturb him.

So. Hange.

Why were they friends again ?

 

Levi pulled up the contact list on his phone and searched for the woman's name.

From their years of friendship, Levi had learned that everything involving the eccentric Dr. Hange Zoë was unpredictable. He wasn't even sure how he ended up being friends with her. He used to feel like she just popped of nowhere, stepping on his personal space like the nosy four-eyes she was. But she respected his privacy. She knew to leave him alone if she couldn't get him to open up. Hanji was also one of the few who didn't seem to be offended or intimidated by him. She was willing to see past his bad mood and constant glaring and listen to him. He sort of got used to her. Even if too loud and enthusiastic, she was someone he grew to trust.

It was hard for one to guess where Hanji was or what she was doing, no matter what time it was. How she managed to work and be the best at what she did was beyond him. She couldn't get a hold of her own life and her schedule was chaotic. Even so, he decided it wouldn't hurt to contact her. She might have the solution for the issues currently bothering him.

If she was working, sleeping or just fooling around he would soon find out, as he finally pressed the call button.

Levi had lost count of how many times the phone rang, but eventually his friend picked up.

 

“Took you long enough.”

“Levi ! Who do I owe the honor of receiving a call from you at this hour of the day ?” Hanji’s voice boomed through the speaker. Levi rolled his eyes. No matter how much of a good and wise person he considered her, there were times when he really couldn’t  tell if she was being ironic or dead serious with her words.

“My damn couch.” He mumbled as he got up and walked to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. Glancing towards the fridge he decided it would do him even better if he threw one or two ice cubes in his drink. He wasn’t lying. If he stayed sitting on that damn couch a minute longer, he was positive he would melt.

What he got as an answer was a confused, questioning hum from his friend. He sighed and dropped an ice cube on his water and proceeded to rub another over his neck and nape.

 

“Never mind. What are you up to, four-eyes ?” He asked as he sipped the cold liquid.

“Me ? Well, now that you called, I’m waiting for you to come over and join me for lunch !”

 

Levi’s brow twitched and he bit his ice cube, letting the small piece of half-melted ice roll on his tongue as he considered  the invitation. Hanji has yet to tell him the secret to make life so convenient. If she would do it for his convenience or for her own was what made him unsettled. Yes, it might be just a simple lunch like many others they had. But if he was in Hanji’s company, there was always the slight chance that he would be dragged to some kind of expedition in the middle of the sea and end up stuck there with a jellyfish eating the hell out of his face. His friend was a biologist, and considering her levels of insanity, he was sure that, at one point, he had been very close to experiencing something of the sorts.

 

“What makes you assume that I haven’t eaten yet and that I would want to eat with you ?”

“You sound bored and grumpy like no other, Levi. And I think I can tell why. The sweat staining your shirt under your arms is making you itchy, isn’t it ?”

 

Levi’s brow twitched a second since the conversation started.

 

“Take a shower a meet me at the yacht. There’s food and actual air-conditioning.” Even if he couldn’t see it, he knew she was flashing a victorious grin.

 

He glared daggers at the air-conditioner in his living room that did nothing for him but suck his money. It wouldn’t blow a breeze to save his life.

Shitty glasses. She knew him too well for his own good.

 

Once the call was ended, he wasted no time and made his way to the bathroom.

Scrunching his nose at the sweat staining his clothes, he stripped off them and placed the soiled items on the laundry basket. He grimaced at idea of leaving them there. If his clothes needed to be washed, he preferred to wash them right away. But this time, he guessed they had to wait.

After a quick, cold shower he hurried to dress himself in a pristine white, short-sleeved button up shirt and navy blue shorts. The shower he just took wouldn’t do him much if he were to stay in the warm environment. Fortunately, he didn’t live far from the docks. The sooner he made it to Hange’s fancy boat, the better. It wouldn’t be the first time he visited his friend’s yacht. She even let him stay there with Isabel in the past, when she had work outside of the city or country. It was fresh, spacious and comfortable. Just what he needed to rid himself of the hot weather and the aches that came with it.

 

Not long after he left his house he arrived at his destination.

He stayed at the dock a little longer to observe how stunning the ocean was under the clear blue sky. A surprisingly nice, gentle breeze kissed his face before he tore his gaze from the view. There was something  particularly soothing about the shiny waters that day.

As he climbed the boarding steps he thought it wouldn’t be that bad to go for a swim in those teal waters.

 

 

 

_-Submerged-_

 

 

__

 


	2. Codfish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the people who gave their feedback in the first chapter. It is much appreciated. :)  
> Here's the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it. o/

Even if just for a moment, Levi felt like something was off.

Before climbing the steps and entering the yacht to be greeted by his friend, he felt something odd. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was as if he was... dazed. And a bit dizzy, he realized as he walked through the glass door leading to the inside of the boat.

He risked a glance at one of the wide windows, the ocean outside still so calm, it's color so vibrant.

He couldn't tell you why, but he had this weird feeling, like something heavy in the pit of his stomach. Slowly eating its way from the inside, crawling.

Thought he wouldn't let it show in his expressions, he was glad to be brought back to earth by a hand waving in front his face, followed by the smell of the late and much needed lunch awaiting him. He quickly shifted his gaze to Hanji's smiling face.

 

"The ocean is making quite the beautiful view today, isn't it ?"

 

Levi blinked once, twice, has Hange herself took a moment to look out the window and observe the horizon where greenish blue waters met cloudless skies. He noticed she wasn't as loud as usual, looking relaxed and acting, dare he say, calmer.

He wasn't sure how to respond, if he should respond at all.

 

"Yeah... it is." He eventually said, without much emotion. More to prevent  the awkward silence from settling than anything else.

 

After a few more seconds, she finally seemed to have enough of admiring the ocean's exquisite beauty and her trademark excitement was back on her face as she studied his appearance and grinned at him. Again, Levi couldn't put his finger on why this was, the reason behind these weird feelings. But seeing that his friend got the enthusiasm so characteristic of her back, it brought some sense of relief. He shook his head, trying get rid of these thoughts that made absolutely no sense to him. He looked around, took in his surroundings. Everything looked familiar and unchanged to him. There wasn't anything wrong going on here for him to have to deem the place safe to begin with. He frowned and scratched the back of his head.

 

Hanji's grin morphed into a concerned expression as she knew from her short friend's behavior that something was bothering him.

 

"You're looking so downcast today, Levi. Are you feeling well ?"

 

“… Why would I feel unwell in the first place ?” Now that question, as stupid and pointless as it may be, was what really bothered him. With no reason to justify it, that feeling was there. Eating at not just his stomach, but at his brain as well. Levi was starting to despise it to no end.

Hanji held her chin between her thumb and forefinger in thought as she looked the man up and down. It took another moment for the gears in her head to turn and click. She nodded and, seeming to have come to a conclusion about what his current problem was, she clapped her hands together excitedly and stepped behind him. Placing her hands over his shoulders with a bit more force than necessary, and making him bit back a hiss thanks to his still sore muscles, she pushed him through the yacht’s living room to the dining area.

 

“Look at you, all wobbly and pale. Have you eaten anything since this morning ? Here, eat before you pass out.” Hanji ordered as she urged him to sit on the chair across from hers.

 

Oh. Levi had to mentally slap himself for his own stupidity.

Everything clicked into place and made sense for him now. He just couldn’t believe that he was considering anything to be the source of his discomfort but the fact that he was actually _starving_. With an elbow on the table, he rested his forehead in his palm. The dizziness, the tightness in his stomach… Looking at the plate of food being placed in front of him, it dawned on him that yes, several hours had passed since he had any food in his system. The palmiers and black tea he had early in the morning certainly weren’t enough to keep him going for so long. Levi raised his head and grabbed the silverware that was set for him.

He waited until Hange had everything prepared to join him at the table to have a taste of his meal. He examined the food, cod with broccoli and chickpeas.  The dish looked really appealing and he just wanted to have it filling his stomach and finally put that monster eating at him to sleep. If hunger was the cause of his symptoms, then ingesting a few portions of the meal should be enough for the unpleasant feelings to leave him at last. He just couldn’t believe that such a troublesome situation only occurred because of his own carelessness and that he was stupid enough to forget about it, even  mistake it for something completely out of context.

After the first forkful of chickpeas, he ate in silence for the next couple of minutes. He hummed appreciatively at the salty taste of the cod in his mouth. He was delighting in the juicy flavor of the broccoli when Hanji broke the silence. He realized that she barely touched her food and had been watching him, visibly trying to contain her laughter.

 

“What’s so funny, you shitty glasses ?” He asked, eyebrow raised. She smiled at him and raised her  fork to taste a small piece of the fish herself.

“Sorry. It’s just that you were careless but then looked like you had no idea why it was when you started to feel sick. Look at you, the color is returning to your face already !” She exclaimed as she chewed another bite of her dish.

He frowned at her, unimpressed by her lack of manners. But in the end, he was just glad that his friend’s theory proved right. The truth is that he felt much better now with the energy provided by their lunch flowing through his veins.

 

“Whatever. And don’t talk with your mouth full, glasses ! That’s disgusting.”

 

They eventually finished their food and Levi offered to wash the dishes while Hanji prepared them two cups of ice cream for dessert. Just when Levi was done with his task, the woman was back at the table with the cups in hand, two tea spoons sticking out of each cold treat. He hurried to dry his hands and joined her before they could start to melt.

Levi stared at the unholy size of the stracciatella ice cream in front of him and then at Hanji. She was pouring strawberry syrup over her own ice cream and passed him the bottle once she was satisfied with the amount she got. He poured himself an equally unholy amount of syrup. At that, he heard his friend trying to hold back her laughter again and shot her a deathly glare.

She would have said something along the lines of “you really don’t look your age sometimes”, but figured it would be best for her if she kept her mouth shut and let him enjoy his dessert in peace.

 

“So, how’s work ?”

 

Hange was surprised by his sudden question, but was quick to answer nonetheless.

 

“We’re currently studying abyssal creatures. We’re still far from knowing all the species living and evolving down there. It’s fascinating, especially because of how mysterious the depths of the ocean are. It’s been good, so far.” She paused for a moment and continued. “Oh, speaking of the depths of the ocean, how’s Isabel ? I haven’t seen her in awhile. Did she overcome her phobia yet ?”

 

Levi hummed and swallowed the last of his ice cream.

 

“Not yet. But she’s working on it. That girl is too brave for her own good.” He let out a sigh. “It doesn’t matter how scared she is of it, she still… oi. Hange ?”

 

Something was off. Hanji’s gaze was suddenly fixated on the glass door leading to the yacht’s balcony. She remained like that for quite some time. Levi had to click his fingers in front of her face to get her attention back.

 

“Oi !”

“Ah…! I’m sorry ! I thing heard something falling. I’ll be right back…”

 

Levi watched her as she got up, opened the door and went outside. Shrugging, he got up himself to throw the empty ice cream cups in the garbage, wash and put the spoons away.

 

That’s when he felt it. That dreadful feeling. That one gut-wrenching feeling, telling him that something was terribly wrong. And it was back at full force.

He ran out the door to follow his friend, and shivered when an unexpected night chill cut through him. He didn’t even notice when the sun has set.

He saw Hange, leaning dangerously over the balcony, her arm reaching for something in the water below.

 

Levi took a step forward. And that’s when he saw it. Saw _him_.

He simply could not believe, could not process what was happening in front of him.

 

Nothing had ever caused him to flinch in fear like he did when he saw the glow of those green eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> It is worth mentioning that this is my first work in english, too.  
> Leave kudos or a comment if you want, and if you spot any grammar mistakes, please point them out so I can improve and expand my english vocabulary.  
> Thank you if you made it this far. ;)


End file.
